


Suits And Glitter Heels

by NimueOfTheNorth



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Housemates, househunting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 18:32:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13687398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NimueOfTheNorth/pseuds/NimueOfTheNorth
Summary: It might be the craziest idea, but it might also be the best solution. Aaron Hotchner and Penelope Garcia are going to share a house.





	Suits And Glitter Heels

**Author's Note:**

> This is my entry for the Friendship half of Forever Angst's Valentine's Challenge.

Working a Friday before a weekend off could often be an exercise in patience. Working the Friday after Valentine’s Day before a weekend off felt like herding cats. And Hotch had decided he wouldn’t even try.

His team did work too much too often, they dealt with horrors on a way too regular basis, and they were currently caught up on all their urgent consults and necessary paperwork - mostly thanks to Reid. Not that there wasn’t always more work to be done, but he figured they’d earned themselves a day of levity.

And this year the mood seemed even more elated than others.

Morgan had come in all charming smiles and satisfaction. Prentiss was noticeably relaxed and finally starting to talk about the man she was dating, though she still let the others work for every bit of information. A childfree evening and night had done wonders for JJ’s spirits, and Hotch would just leave it at that. Rossi had already sauntered in with fresh coffee to tell Aaron everything about his dinner with the breathtaking jazz-singer that had finally agreed to go on a date with him. 

Garcia had been the one to watch Henry last night and had declared him the best, politest, most charming and cutest Valentine’s date since forever. The messy and colourful cupcakes in the break room told everyone what the evening activities had been. Even Reid had apparently been out on a date with a woman he’d met in one of his philosophy classes. He wasn’t exactly exuberant about it but seemed to have had a nice evening if nothing else.

Hotch himself had shared a pizza, ice cream and a few rounds of board games with his son before going to bed early. And no matter what Dave said, it was exactly the evening he wanted. He had no desire to ‘put himself out there’ or any such nonsense.

With the mood as it was and leaning to teasing and gossip rather than work, Hotch had sent everyone home on time the second day in a row and had even left the office with them.

He hadn’t expected the very excited greeting Jack gave him when he entered the apartment, not quite sure what brought it on.

“Dad! You’re here early! Aunt Jess had a GREAT Valentine’s date, and she got a new ring.” All of this bubbled out of the boy before Aaron had even set down his briefcase. It gave him an idea, however, what the excitement might be about. The following, unconvincing stage whisper confirmed his suspicions. “And it’s a very special ring.”

He smiled and moved into the living area of the apartment. “So, Jessica... anything you would like to share with the group?” he asked teasingly.

To his delight, she blushed and held up her left hand with a telltale new sparkle on the fourth finger. “Ben asked me to marry him. And I said yes.”

Aaron’s lips spread into a broad smile. He walked over to her and pulled her into a warm embrace. “Congratulations! Benjamin is a good man and appreciates how lucky he is to have found you. I’m so happy for you!”

“Thanks.” They broke apart to a jumping and laughing Jack clapping his hands. “Actually,” she put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down, “I have favours to ask. Jobs I would like the two of you to take on for the special day.”

“Yes! Anything! What do I have to do?” Jack agreed enthusiastically.

Aaron chuckled. “Careful, buddy. That sort of eagerness can get you into all kinds of troubles.”

“But it’s for Aunt Jessica!”

“Right. So, what would you like us to do?”

“Well, Jack here is certainly old and responsible enough to take on the duties of ring bearer.” She laughed when the young boy nodded and immediately straightened his spine. “As for you, Aaron, I know this might seem a little weird, but with Dad gone I was hoping, if you don’t mind that is, I was hoping you would walk me down the aisle.” She looked up at him with uncertainty in her eyes.

The stunned expression on Aaron’s face likely wasn’t the most encouraging reaction, but he couldn’t help his surprise. Luckily he found his voice before she felt forced to take it back. “It would be my honour. Honestly, Jess, I would have never expected this, but I would be honoured to walk you to the altar.”

”Thank you.” She smiled gratefully at him before Jack distracted her with questions about his duties and if he could come and help pick out her dress.

Aaron took the chance while Jack was preoccupied with wedding plans to change out of his suit. When he came out of his bedroom, he saw Jack in his own room, playing with Legos and Jessica was sitting on the couch with a serious expression that didn’t quite fit the celebratory mood from earlier.

“Okay, what’s this about then?”

She padded the seat beside her and waited for him to take it. “Benjamin’s company wants him back at their headquarters. His superior is retiring, and they’ve groomed him to take his place, and Ben has worked hard for that promotion.”

“But their headquarters are in Philadelphia, right?”

“Yes. He’s moving back at the end of April, and he wants me to go with him, of course. And I want to go with him, to be honest. But then there’s Jack... I don’t want to leave you hanging.”

Aaron pulled up a leg so he could fully face her. “Jess, you’ve done so much for us over the last years, I can’t value your support high enough. I would never ask you to give up on your own life and dreams just to keep my life convenient. I know Jack will miss you, but Philadelphia isn’t that far, and I have no doubt that you’ll continue to be a part of his life, just differently. Jack losing you completely would be the only thing I’d have a real problem with.”

“Oh no, I couldn’t stand that myself! You know what Jack means to me. I will always be a part of his life, at least as long as he lets me.”

“I don’t think he’s all that keen on getting rid of you just now.” They both chuckled, knowing it wouldn’t stay like that forever. “Are you leaving with Ben in April?”

“No, not right away. The lease on my apartment isn’t up for another four months, but I could stay a little longer for you to find a new solution for Jack. Maybe until the summer holidays start would make it easier?”

“Maybe. It largely depends on what solution we’ll decide on. I’m not doing anything Jack is completely against, but I’ll have to research available options first.”

“I’m so sorry I’m dumping that on you and making a mess of your life.”

“Oh no, stop that, right there,” Aaron interrupted her. “You single-handedly prevented our lives from becoming a total mess over the last years. It’s about time I pick up what should have been my job, to begin with. You have every right to live your own life and be happy. That is nothing to apologise for. That you are willing to adjust your schedule to me setting up a new solution is more than I could ask for.”

“Anytime, Aaron. Jack will always be important to me, and I will always be there if he needs me. Should I tell him before I go?”

“No. I’ll do some research tonight and will tell him during the weekend when I can give him at least some general possibilities. He’ll just worry if we present him with this vague big change coming his way tonight.”

* * *

 

 

It was Sunday before Aaron got around to having that talk with Jack. Saturday, he’d been whisked off to the cinema with his best friend’s family, and that had given Aaron some additional time to research and contemplate.

Now they were sitting in a diner in the mall, having milkshakes and pie. They had spent the better part of the morning buying new clothes and shoes for Jack, who had outgrown yet another batch of clothing.

“Jack, can we talk about something?”

He disliked how his son looked up worriedly biting his lower lip. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No buddy, not at all. But your Aunt Jess getting married brings a few changes that affect us and that we need to talk about.”

“Do you think she’ll have her own kids and not like me anymore?” Jack’s voice had gotten very quiet at that thought, and Aaron hurried to reassure him.

“I don’t know if Jess and Ben will try for their own kids. But what I do know for sure is that your aunt loves you a great deal and that nothing in the world will ever change that. Just like I love you. Never doubt that, Jack.”

His son nodded but still seemed subdued.

“The thing is, that Ben is soon starting a new position in his company and has to move back to Philadelphia for that. And Aunt Jess wants to go with him, of course.”

“But then I won’t see her anymore!”

“Yes, you will. Not quite as often, but you will see her. She would miss you like crazy, and Philadelphia isn’t that far. I foresee a lot of cool weekend trips and visits. Do you think you can handle that?”

Jack shrugged. “I guess. I want her to be happy, and I know that Ben makes her happy. He’s nice and funny. I like him too. But it’ll be weird not going to Aunt Jess after school. And how will that work when you’re away on a case?”

Aaron had to smile at how perceptive his son could be. “That’s what we need to talk about to find a solution. There are a few options. Number one, I could hire a nanny or maybe we’d find an Au Pair to live with us.”

Jack scrunched up his nose at that thought. “Nannies are for babies. I’m too old for a nanny. An Au Pair might not be too bad. At least it sounds kinda cool.”

That reaction was hardly surprising to Aaron. The problem was that due to his job he had an issue with letting someone in their late teens to maybe early twenties from abroad look after his son. Not even speaking of the fact that they’d have to adjust to a new one every year.

“Okay, second option is a boarding school-”

“No! I don’t want to be sent away to boarding school!” Jack interrupted him and almost stood up in his seat.

“Would you let me finish please?” He waited until Jack had slumped back onto the bench and, for the moment, ignored the defiant look on his face. “I have absolutely no intention of sending you away to boarding school full time. I love every minute I get to spend with you, Jack, and I don’t want you gone for the school year. Okay? But with the kind of jobs people work in and around DC, there are a few schools that allow their students to board on a day-by-day basis. You’d go to school as you do now, but if I get called away on a case, you can stay there for the nights until I come back. You’d have a room assigned to you, with some clothing and other things always waiting there for you. I could pick you up until eight or nine in the evening if I make it back into town by then. So it wouldn’t be that different from how things are with Aunt Jess right now. We wouldn’t see each other any less.”

Jack still looked sullen but mumbled something about that maybe sounding not too bad then.

“The third option is that I ask for a desk job.”

Jack sat up straighter. “But who will catch the bad guys then?”

“I’ve never done that alone, Jack, and the rest of the team and all the other agents in the FBI can do that without me travelling all over the country.”

“But... you love the job you do now. And you’ve said so often that you don’t want to do more paperwork and stuff. You wouldn’t be a proper superhero anymore, sitting behind a desk.”

“Jack, I would gladly change my job and give up travelling so much if it is the right thing for you.” Gladly might be pushing it a little, but the last thing he wanted was to add guilt to Jack’s decision.

“But what if it isn’t the right thing for me? What if I don’t want you to change jobs?”

“There are only so many solutions to choose from to make this work once Jess moves away, Jack. We have to agree on one of them. Not right now, but I need you to think about what you would like best.”

“There is of course always the joker-solution, option Penelope.”

Both Hotchner-men looked up startled by the unexpected voice and an oversized colourful purse, accompanied by a multitude of shopping bags being deposited beside Aaron while Garcia settled in beside Jack, somehow spilling nothing of her elaborate coffee concoction.

“Hi Jack, what are you having?”

“Chocolate pie and banana milkshake.”

“Hmmm, that pie looks good. Me, I’m not so fond of banana milkshakes, but that’s why they make plenty of flavours. What about your dad?”

“Ehm, blueberry pie and raspberry milkshake?”

“Sticking to all berries, how very orderly. But that’s how we love your dad, isn’t it?” She smiled at the two of them and then flagged down the waitress. “I’ll have a piece of that tempting lemon cheesecake you display so shamelessly.”

“Penelope, not that I’m not open to suggestions, but how exactly do you think you could help with our current dilemma?”

“Well, I don’t jet around the country with the team, so I could look after Jack.”

“Then I wouldn’t have to change schools,” Jack perked up. “I don’t want to lose my friends, and even the teachers are alright - for the most part.”

“I’m not opposed in general, but we often need your help at odd hours, well outside of Jack’s school schedule, even if we made use of the extracurricular program they offer.”

“Ha, but I have a perfect solution for that!” The waitress had to rescue the cheesecake that she was about to set down from Garcia’s excited gesturing. “Oh, thanks, honey. Now, what I’m thinking is, do you remember the secure home office system I was working on for the bureau and other agencies a while ago?”

“Yes, of course. I had to sign off on it, and you got all excited.”

“Well, it’s been put through the paces and has been approved for implementation. And as a unit chief, you’d qualify to have one installed. So I could pick Jack up from school, and he didn’t even have to do any extracurriculars he doesn’t want to, and I could just keep working from your apartment the rest of the day. It isn’t like Jack needs permanent supervision so he doesn’t put a fork in a socket.”

Jack snorted at that and looked at his father hopefully. “Could we do that, Dad? Aunt Penny would be sooo much better than a stranger or boarding school.”

“Sorry, but I’m not done playing devil’s advocate. Because we’d only get the system installed at my place and that comes with three problems. One, I remember reading in the latest report that they were approving it but only for freestanding houses. They strongly advise against installing it in an apartment building. Two, I don’t like the idea of you setting up your laptops in our living room or on the dining table during a case. You know the kind of pictures that are part of your work and I’d rather Jack not see any of that by accident. 

“And three, if you come to work at my place, that would often run until after Jack’s bedtime so you couldn’t easily go to your place afterwards. Our couch is terribly uncomfortable, and there is no room for you to stash some of your things for those nights.”

“No, because Dad’s suit collection completely fills his closet,” Jack giggled together with Penelope and happily ignored his father’s glare. “But I have an idea! One that would fix both those problems.”

“Okay, buddy, let’s hear it.”

“We move into a house! The FBI would allow you that system Aunt Penny invented, we could have a guest bedroom for her, and an office for either of you to work in, even if I have to go to bed. And we could have a proper garden and maybe a dog!”

“Not so fast, Jack. There’s a long discussion from us maybe moving into a house to getting a dog. For now, we have other things to focus on.”

“But we could do that? Move into a house, me staying at my school, and Aunt Penny looking after me when you’re on a case? Because if that’s an option, I know what I want.”

“Aaron,” Penelope sounded worried and was biting her bottom lip. “I didn’t mean for my little plan to lead to you buying a house. That’s a big deal. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’ve thought about moving out of our current place multiple times over the years, but something always got in the way. Having a house again might be nice. I’m more worried that you’re jumping into this responsibility rather spontaneously. Are you sure you want to get this involved in our lives?”

“We’re all family and family is there for one another. You’ve saved me from myself in a way when I wasn’t sure I deserved it. You are two of my most favourite people, and it would be my honour and pleasure to get more involved in your lives.”

Jack held up his mostly finished milkshake for a toast. “To happy house hunting!”

The adults laughed but joined in, clinking their own beverages against his. While Jack babbled excitedly about all the things he wanted to do in their future house and garden, Aaron caught Penelope’s eyes and mouthed  _ Thank you _ at her. She just smiled at him and joined Jack in his plans for how to decorate his new room.

* * *

 

 

It had long turned dark outside, but Aaron was still sitting at his desk, trying to finish up all the paperwork. He didn’t want to take any of it home over the weekend because he was still busy house hunting. With Jack enrolled at a private school, he technically didn’t have to pay attention to school districts, but Jack wanted to stay within reach of his friends and most lived relatively close to the school.

He looked up when there was a hesitant knock on his open door.

“Garcia, I didn’t know you were still here. Has something come up?”

“No, not work wise. I just did some maintenance on my babies while I had the chance. Ehm, Aaron, do you have a few minutes?”

“Sure, take a seat.” She had only recently started to use his first name when they were in private so that gave him at least a hint what this might be about. It worried him a little because having to change their plans at this point would break Jack’s heart. He closed his pen and got up to sit in the second visitor chair beside her, not wanting the barrier of the desk between them. “What’s going on?”

“I got a letter this morning from my landlord that they are selling the building. The buyers want to do all kinds of upgrades and then sell the apartments. We get first dibs on buying and for those of us who want that, they will organise temporary alternatives while the work is done but otherwise, they’d like us out of there within the next three months.”

“And you don’t want to buy your apartment?”

“No. With everything they’ve planned, it’s gonna be ridiculously expensive. It’s not that I don’t have the money, I have savings, I’m just not willing to spend it on this. With what they want to do to the place I’m not sure it’ll still be my style anymore.

“So I guess, well, I know you were looking for a house somewhere between Jack’s school and my apartment to make it more convenient for me, and you don’t have to do that anymore. I don’t even know where I’ll end up and I can just as well look for an apartment in your new neighbourhood. That might even be easier.”

Aaron looked at her for a moment, trying to decipher her mood. “You like living in that building. Are you really sure you want to give it up?”

She fiddled with the folds of her skirt for a bit. “It’s not so much about the building or the apartment; it’s more about the people. There are few that can afford to stay after the renovations and the kind of people that will move in… I don’t think I’d feel at home there anymore.”

Aaron hummed his understanding. “I might have a rather crazy idea.”

“I thought crazy ideas were my prerogative?”

“Being friends with you is a bad influence apparently.”

“I adore being a bad influence. So what is this crazy idea of yours?”

“I saw this one house that intrigued me enough to go to an open house showing last weekend even though it’s the opposite direction from your current place and it’s too large for just Jack and me, but…” He got up and found the listing of the house on the realtor’s website. He was about to turn the screen towards Penelope, but she’d already gotten up to look over his shoulder.

“Oh! That is beautiful!”

“Three floors. Kitchen, dining room, living room and two small rooms that would make good offices on the first floor. Three bedrooms and two full baths on the second floor and another two rooms with a full bath under the roof.” He slowly clicked through the pictures ending with the charming rooms at the top of the house. “There’s also a two car garage and a decently sized garden. Enough room for Jack to play, but still very manageable.”

“It’s a wonderful house but what would you do with that many rooms?”

“With me in the master and Jack in the other large bedroom, we’d have the smallest one on the second floor as a guest room, would be nice for when Jessica comes to visit. As for the third floor, that’s where the crazy idea comes into play. How would you like moving in with us?”

“What? You mean like… like housemates?”

“Yeah. I mean, the only thing we’d really have to share is the kitchen and I’m sure we can manage that. You could take over the second office downstairs and we’d both could make use of the new system being installed. But you could always retreat upstairs to your own territory when you needed time to yourself. I’m sure Jack will respect that if we tell him to.”

He hadn’t been sure about this suggestion, and Penelope’s long silence didn’t help.

“Unless you’d rather live on your own. I completely understand that. I won’t be insulted.”

“I’m paying you rent.”

“What?”

She finally tore her eyes away from the screen and looked at him. “I’m paying you rent, proper rent, not just my share of utilities or any such nonsense.”

“I take it, that’s a Yes?”

“Oh, absolutely yes! I’m set in my ways, and I need a space that is just mine, but I also don’t really like being completely alone. That’s what’s so great about the community we have in our building right now. Living with you and Jack sounds like it could be a lot of fun and it would make me looking after Jack during cases indefinitely easier. And can I pick flowers for the garden? Not all, but some?”

Aaron smiled at her enthusiasm. “Of course you can. We can all make a plan and go shopping together. But let’s make sure we get the house first. Are you free tomorrow? I’ll call the realtor and see about a house tour for all of us.”

“Gosh, that feels so grown up, touring a house I will live in, even if I’m not the one to buy it. I’m strangely looking forward to it.”

* * *

 

 

Aaron and Jack arrived at the house ten minutes early. He had dressed like he was going into the office, knowing full well the effect a good first impression could have. Jack had agreed to a neutral sweater rather than one of his superhero prints and had promised not to run around like crazy. Seeing how much he was now vibrating in the backseat, Aaron knew he would have a hard time containing his excitement.

When the realtor pulled up across the street, Aaron got out of the car to greet her.

“Mrs Michaels, I’m Aaron Hotchner and this is my son Jack. Thank you for making this possible on such short notice.” He shook her hand and smiled when Jack stuck out his hand as well, even though he was still shy with unfamiliar people.

“It was no problem, Mr Hotchner. I remember you from the open house. You seemed to like the object a lot but said it was too large for your needs, I believe.”

“Yes. But we had a little change in our circumstances, so now it might be just what we need.”

Mrs Michaels smiled professionally happy at that. The house wasn’t the cheapest and the previous owners had already moved out, so there probably weren’t that many potential buyers around.

“Should we go inside or are we waiting for somebody else?”

“Aunt Penny is coming as well,” Jack piped up. “She’s going to move in with us and it’s going to be sooo cool!”

“Your Aunt Penny must be a lovely woman if you’re so excited for her to come and live with you.” Mrs Michaels didn’t get to say any more because another car parked in front of the house at that moment and Garcia got out.

Aaron wasn’t sure what was more fun to watch, Penelope rushing up to the house on her implausible heals or the reaction on Mrs Michaels’ face. Granted, Penelope looked nothing like you’d expect after seeing him in his dark suit and conservative tie.

Today’s ensemble from Garcia’s collection consisted of a dark blue dress with a field of red and pink poppies printed all over the skirt. She’d paired it with a bubblegum pink wool jacket and red glitter pumps that evoked images of Dorothy. Her purse was even shaped like Toto.

Jack ran off to greet her with a hug and the two walked up to the veranda where they had been standing together.

“I’m not late, am I? I got stuck in traffic a little; I’m so sorry.”

“Everything is fine; you’re still in time, Penelope,” Aaron said and gave her a peck on the cheek in lieu of a greeting. By the time he turned back to Mrs Michaels to make introductions, the woman had regained her composure. She led them inside and gave them a very thorough tour of the house and garden.

When they were back in the downstairs hallway, Mrs Michaels looked at Aaron expectantly. “Now Mr Hotchner, what do you think?”

Before answering her question, he looked at Jack and Penelope.

Jack was all smiles. “I love it! I like my room and the garden is great! There’s even a strong fence already to keep in a dog when we get one.”

“ _ If _ , buddy,  _ if _ we get a dog. It takes more than a fenced-in garden to have a dog.”

Penelope was chuckling and brushing through Jack’s hair. “It’s your money, Aaron, but I really like the house and think it suits us well. I can easily see us living here together without driving each other up the walls.”

That broke through his mask and made him snort. “What a ringing vote of confidence,  but I happen to agree. 

“And there’s plenty of closet space for both your suits and Aunt Penny’s shoes, Dad!” Jack pointed out with a cheeky grin.

“Careful, Jack, or we might have to renegotiate your pocket money. Okay, Mrs Michaels, it seems you got yourself a deal.”

Jack hugged his dad with a cheer while Penelope shook her head in bemusement.

“I still think you’re crazy asking me to move in with you guys.”

“I’ve known you for more than a decade. I think I have a pretty good idea what I’m getting myself into. We’ll do just fine.”


End file.
